We Need to Accept the Consensus on Vaccines
Dear Editor:
I wanted to comment on the 1,200 studies vaccine letter ["Vaccine Danger: 1,200 Studies Can't Be Wrong"; August issue]. The letter is an example of why chiropractors continue to be viewed as fringe and "quacks." Chiropractors need to accept the scientific consensus on vaccine safety and effectiveness.
Why would a primary care provider trust referring a patient to a chiropractor when the DC might try to convince their patient not to vaccinate? Not vaccinating is a public health risk that can cause outbreaks of diseases like measles. Chiropractors must position themselves as part of the mainstream as evidence-based practitioners, rather than dogma-based alternative practitioners.
Joshua Lederman, DC, MS, CCSP, Cert. MDT
Wheaton, Ill.
Author's Note: The following letter was originally written to Dr. Arthur Croft (a former longtime columnist for this publication) and is reprinted with permission from the author, Dr. Mark Studin, with minimal editing.
Your Work Has Influenced an Entire Profession
Arthur:
Although we have never met, we have spoken a few times over the years and you were gracious, giving and clearly the best at what you do. I have read your books, research and have purchased your materials because I made a decision quite some time ago not to waste my time with anything other than from the best of the best.
It is because of you that I was able to render factual information to over a quarter of a million lawyers over my career and show them demonstrative evidence that crash victims have a valid reason, other than complaints, if they were in low-speed crashes. It is because of you I had scientific literature to help overcome deceptive rhetoric in the medical-legal arena and it is because of you that we had our first honest algorithm for treatment of patients with damaged connective tissue as sequela to trauma.
It is also in part because of you that I have been able to teach at the doctoral and post-doctoral level to tens of thousands of chiropractic students and chiropractors nationally to help their patients understand the etiology of their pain post-trauma and help devise treatment plans toward their recovery.
Your work has greatly influenced not only me, but an entire profession and the patients we care for, based upon the evidence you created. Therefore, an entire profession and the people you have touched through our doctors (and subsequently all of our patients) owe you a tremendous debt of gratitude. You have changed our profession, you have changed an entire industry, and you have done that wearing a "white hat" without ever compromising. You have accomplished that based upon truth, backed by very hard work, and the conclusions that work has rendered.
For me, you have been, and will continue to be an inspiration and for that, I sincerely thank you.
Mark Studin, DC, FASBE(C), DAAPM, DAAMLP
East Setauket, N.Y.
When sports chiropractors first appeared at the Olympic Games in the 1980s, it was alongside individual athletes who had experienced the benefits of chiropractic care in their training and recovery processes at home. Fast forward to Paris 2024, where chiropractic care was available in the polyclinic for all athletes, and the attitude has now evolved to recognize that “every athlete deserves access to sports chiropractic."
It is estimated that 61% of patients with CTS avoid taking surgical options due to postoperative complications and costly surgical procedures. Chiropractic care offers a comprehensive and effective treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome, addressing the condition from multiple angles. Recent studies also have unveiled a game-changing adjunct to chiropractic treatments for CTS: nerve flossing.
Some doctors thrive in a personality-based clinic and have a loyal following no matter what services or equipment they offer, but for most chiropractic offices who are trying to grow and expand, new equipment purchases help us stay relevant and continue to service our client base in the best, most up-to-date manner possible. So, regarding equipment purchasing: should you lease, get a bank loan, or pay cash?
